A Bed of Roses
by Lil-Sun-Rie
Summary: Kaoru, a recently orphaned teen, is struggling to discover herself and her ‘gifts.’ With her journey to self-discovery cut short, she meets a mysterious amber-eyed man who both threatens and comforts her. Can life get anymore complicated? [AU KK]
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, but the plot, which was inspired by 'A Great and Terrible Beauty' by Liba Bray.

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Summary: Kaoru, a recently orphaned teen, is struggling to discover herself and her 'gifts.' What will she do when a young man forbids her from further discovering them?

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**_In A Bed of Roses :_**_ Prologue_

_What frightens you? _

_What makes the hair on your arms rise, your palms sweat, the breath catch in you chest like a wild thing caged? _

_Is it the dark? A fleeting memory of a bedtime story, ghosts and goblins and witches hiding in the shadows? Is it the way the wind picks up just before a storm, the hint of wet in the air that makes you want to scurry home to the safety of your fire? _

_Or is it something deeper, something much more frightening, a monster deep inside that you've glimpsed only in pieces, the vast unknown of your own soul where secrets gather with a terrible power, the dark inside? _

_ -A Great and Terrible Beauty, Liba Bray_

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I don't understand what my life is all about. I don't understand why my mother wouldn't let me go somewhere beyond Japan. I don't understand why we have to be poor or why she wouldn't remarry.

I know life would be so much easier if she would only accept help, but something always seems to be holding her back. It was as if an anchor was bound to her, taking away her freedom as she slaved under her own pride.

It wasn't as if it was just me and my mother, alone. I had friends, not a lot, but I still had them and I'm happy for that. I tell them everything, even my dream to go to America one day.

Recently, many of our neighbors moved to America in hopes of finding 'freedom' and 'happiness.' I just want to see if it's true, what they say about it, I just want to see for myself. Taking a deep breath, I walk into my mother's room. I gently slide her door open and took small steps into the cool room. It was winter.

"Mom…?"

This is it, I'm going to _confide_ with her. I'm going to ask her to take me to America.

"Yes, Kaoru?"

"Mom…" I pause, unsure of how her reaction would be and whether or not I wanted to see it. "Can we–"

I hastily break off, should I ask her?

Of course I should, she's my mom.

"Kaoru?" she prompts.

"Can we go to America?"

She stares at me as if I had grown another head; I knew this was a bad idea. She doesn't try to conceal her surprise, and I soon find that her tactlessness is quite irritating.

"Mom?"

"No."

"What?"

She frowns a bit, bringing her eyebrows to a tight knit between her eyes. "No."

"But, everyone else is going!"

"I said, no. And besides, how are we going to be able to afford a trip like that?"

I also frown, only because my mother is so unreasonable. "There are some Americans passing fliers saying that we can get a free trip if we promise to work at least five years under their company."

She looks at me for a while, and then turns her head away in disgust. I don't know why, but it seems that she is always disgusted by me. She looked back up at me while pulling her kimono tighter around her body, "No."

She gets up and gently pats her clothes to relieve it of any dirt or dust it might have collected, and all the while she keeps her eyes on the floor.

"Mom?"

"Kaoru, I'm going to the market. I'll be back soon, don't let _anyone_ in the dojo."

I always thought it queer that we lived in a dojo and yet couldn't afford good food or clothing. My father was the dojo master and a very popular one at that, but when he died many of the students left even though I took over the lessons. It was like they were dispirited by me, like I was a curse that drove them away from the dojo.

With no more students, I stopped training so I know I'm out of shape.

"No one is going to want to come here, Mom."

My mother sighed and glared at me, "You should act more like the lady you could be."

"Mom, please not _another _lecture."

I groan inwardly as she shoots off with how I misbehave. She gives me the same lecture almost everyday.

"You should respect your elders."

In my mind this means, _Your__ not fit to even speak to me in such a manner._

"Stand up straight."

_You're such a dwarf already, don't make it worse. _

"You should smile more."

_Try to look happy so I can marry you off._

She sighs when she sees that I'm not really paying attention. She walks by me, but stops and pulls back my shoulders so that I'm standing straight. I moan in protest, but she ignores them and doesn't release my shoulders till I'm standing the way she wants me to. Nodding in a _professional_ fashion, she leaves me alone in the dark room. I'm alone… again, and thinking about it now I realize how much I look forwards to these frequent moments to myself. The door slides close and I relax my shoulders as the soft _thump_ of the door was heard.

Even though I tell my friends everything, I have a secret. One that I haven't told anyone.

I don't understand what it is nor what it does, but its still something that I only _I_ know about.

I sigh as I flop down on the floor and sit cross legged in front of the large windows. I close my eyes and let another 'vision' consume me.

I don't know why I see things, but I just refer to them as visions. I let the familiar cold chill spread through my body as I feel like something's pulling me into a different dimension. The sickening pull lessened and I find myself in a dark tunnel.

Shivers run up my spine, this is so much more different than usual. Normally, I end up looking down at myself as if I had been pulled from my body. This time, however, it was like I pulled my body with me.

I hear voices at the end of the mysterious dark tunnel, and my initial response was to duck behind something, but there was nothing around me. Clenching my fist and swallowing to suppress the growing urge to scream, I take a step towards the source of the voices.

I heard soft crunching under me as I take the tunnel step by step. I let my curiosity overwhelm my sense of reason and take a risk by looking down; I find that I deeply regret my decision. I was about to scream, but then stuffed my fist into my mouth to prevent any sound from being heard.

I bit into my fist as I stare down at lifeless eyes that stare back at me. I felt a single tear run down my cheek as the head suddenly rolled away. I look around for the body, but then find that there are only heads here. Suddenly, the tears just streamed down no matter how much I try to stop myself from crying. I bite my fist harder and soon I felt my teeth break through my skin, and blood seeped into my mouth leaving a bitter sweet taste.

Where am I?

The question bore into my like thousand of knives, consuming my body in a sea of pain. Where am I?! Damn!

Suddenly, a calm cold voices floods into my mind, 'It's not proper for a lady to curse.'

Why must my mother's voice come to mind at a time like this? Glancing around once more, I see thousands of heads staring ahead at something they'll never see, mouths open in a scream that will never be heard. My tears flow freely now, I don't understand. Why is this vision different from the others? What's happening?

The voices at the end of the tunnel are louder now and I find myself walking towards them, groping around for something to hold onto but my hand just meets cold air. The voices grew louder and louder as I approached them, getting closer and closer. There's a light… A light!

Finally, I can escape this insane hell. I walk faster and faster till I'm almost running towards the small beacon of hope. The voices are easily understood now that I'm so close to them. I ignore the crunching under my feet and I ignore the urge to look down and see if the heads are still there, because I know I'll only regret looking down again. Suddenly, it was as if something or something caught my foot, because I find myself falling towards the ground and with a sickening crack I feel myself collide with the ground and something much more sickening.

I fell into the hoard of heads.

I thrash, I scream, I fight. I'm scared, I won't deny it, I'm scared and that only further fueled my insane rampage against heads that don't move, heads that won't attack me. I try to calm down and turn my head to the side, but find myself staring into the face of a stranger. I scream once again while hastily getting to my feet.

I felt as if I was doused in cold water and left outside in the winter breeze because the sickening scene caused intense shivers to run through my body. I wrap my arms around myself in a futile attempt to stop myself, but I only feel myself shaking more.

What was this place? Why am I here?

I start running, trying desperately to get to the light. Again, the chilling feeling as I had been thrown into a pool of ice seeped into my already cold body. Finally, the light seems to be getting bigger till I could see the two figures I had imagined in my head. I was still too far away to be able to see anything past their shadowed figures, but as I approached I found that one figure was my mother.

"Mom…" I tried to call out to her, but I emitted no sound. I tried again and again to call out to her, but no sound was heard. I didn't hear my own quivering voice, I didn't hear them conversing anymore; it was so quiet that I swear you could hear a pin drop. I approached, I got closer and closer… but before I was able to reach them a piercing scream broke the silence that I had grown adapted to. I covered my ears in an attempt to block out the sound, but it was no use.

I looked up and saw watched as my mother's companion underwent a 'transformation.'

Now I was close enough to see both their faces and before the man transformed I saw that he was very handsome. Damn, why am I thinking about how attractive the guy is at a time like this?! I curse myself and watch as sickening black nails sprout from the tips of his fingers. He embraces himself as if he were in excruciating pain, then long black spikes emerge from his back and break through his clothing.

Then, his once handsome face molds into a hideous expression.

He was a monster, a sickening, hideous monster. I glanced back at my mother and see that she hasn't moved. Wasn't she afraid? Why isn't she running?

Suddenly, my mother pulls out a small dagger from the sleeve of her kimono and I became relieved. She would fight, and everything would be okay… she would live and we'd be happy in our empty dojo. I watch intently as my mother held the dagger in her hands, but then she did something I did not expect. She holds the dagger overhead and, without making a sound, plunges it in herself.

"Mother!" I scream, trying to get her attention, but it's like I'm not even there. The creature starts to disappear and when it's gone, I run towards my mother's unmoving body. Her cold, piercing blue eyes stare up at me, accusing me. I didn't help her, I just watched.

I collapse besides her body and pull her head into my lap.

Crying, I brush her hair away from her face and press my cheek against hers. My hand seeks hers, but I find that both her cheek and hands are cold… their like ice.

"Mom…"

**TBC**

**Okay, I know that totally sucked, but the idea of a fic like this was nagging me…I just had to write it down and I know that the added fact that I have almost four unfinished fics out, this will slow down my update rate. I just hoped you all enjoyed it, and if not that's okay. **

**Please review!**


	2. Chapter One

Disclaimer: Glares at the courtroom I don't own them... feels sharp nudge from the policement and I confess that I _did_ try to steal 'em.

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Summary: Kaoru, a recently orphaned teen, is struggling to discover herself and her 'gifts.' What will she do when a young man forbids her from further discovering them?

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**_In A Bed of Roses _**_:Chapter One_

_Here are some pointers on grackles. The can't see out of both eyes at once, so they're always looking at two worlds. They can see life and death, so they know whether a still animal is asleep or dead. I'm telling you some ways they're superior to us, so you'll have more respect for them. They see more colors and more distance than you could ever hope to. They're wise and extremely fair, but the have a very subtle, almost malicious sense of humor. _

- _The Spirit Window, Joyce Sweeney_

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"Kaoru…"

My name echoed within my mind. Tears stung my eyes as I held my mother's head in my lap. Why had it been so sudden?

But, why had she been here in the first place? Why was she here?

Did she have visions as I did? So many unanswered questions popped into my mind, one by one. So I wept, for my mother and my questions that never would be answered.

"Kaoru…"

Again, that soothing voice called out to me. It was like a beacon calling me to safety, but I refused to go. I refuse to be saved. Towering over my mother's dead body, I bent down and kissed her cold cheek. Crying wouldn't bring her back, but it was something I could not stop. It was out of my control to stop crying, and that's why I did it.

"Kamiya-san…"

The voice that was calling me switched to a more formal tone. Suddenly, the wrenching feeling overcame my senses as I was violently pulled out of my vision. Unwillingly, might I add. Rough hands shook my shoulders in an effort to wake me up. Slowly my eyes adjusted to my surroundings and I found myself faced with a red-haired man who seemed as old as I am.

"Who are you?"

I didn't expect an answer, but then something suddenly clicked. How in the hell did he know my name?

"It doesn't matter who I am." He glared at me with his mysterious amber eyes and his grip on my shoulders tightened. I suppressed the urge to groan at the sudden pressure, but it was obvious that he wanted that so I let him go on disappointed.

"There's nothing here to steal."

"I don't want anything."

"If there isn't anything you want, then leave."

His glare was powerful and made me feel skirmish inside, but I didn't let any emotion reach my face. I was too proud to let him see what he was doing to me.

"How do you know my name?"

"I know a lot about you, Kamiya-san."

His cold, rough, deep voice taunted me. His cold-heartedness was evident in his slow and offensive tone. I know I should be scared, torn up, and battered at the sudden abuse right after my mother's supposed death, but there was something defiant within me. Something that I've always had; my curse and blessing. I was a stubborn girl and there was nothing my mother could do that would change that.

"What did you see?"

Again his words rolled off his tongue as sharp knives. His eyes seemed to stare straight through me and I felt exposed.

"I see you."

"Humor won't save you, Kamiya-san. I demand to know what you've seen."

The defiant flame within me burned and I stubbornly shook my head, knowing that I should fear this man because of what men can do to women when they're all alone. Still, I was also considered a strong girl and despite my tight kimono I could fight.

Again I was aware of his hands gripping my shoulder and I tried to shrug them off, but it would seem he was stubborn as well.

"What do you want?"

His eyes flashed angrily in, what I suppose, anger.

"Kamiya-san, you may think your 'visions' are jokes and games, but I tell you that there is something more to them than you can even imagine. I know your mother died, but tell me what did you see?"

My head snapped up at his sudden viciousness.

"My mother is not dead. What I've seen… maybe it's just a bad dream."

"You're so naïve to actually try to believe such a ridiculous lie. Those are not dreams, Kamiya-san."

His formality was grinding on my nerves.

"Kaoru."

"What?"

"It's my name and I demand you use it."

I knew, full and well, that I should push him away and run, but something held me here. I glared at the man with, what I hoped was, equal intensity.

"Kaoru-dono-"

"Just Kaoru."

I know it was wrong and to be so informal to a possible thief, but I couldn't help it. All formality, custom, and shit died along with my mother. My reputation or appearance didn't matter.

"Fine! Kaoru."

I could tell that whoever he was was still human enough to be subjected to _human_ emotions. Sensing his anger rise, I decided to play along for a while. Seeing my willingness to listen, the mysterious amber eyed, redhead continued.

"Tell me what in the hell did you see."

Growling was for animals, and with this animalistic characteristic he threatened me with crude gestures.

"I saw death. That's it, that's what you want. I saw death and that's it." I matched his stare with a glare of my own, "I saw my mother die and I don't know if it's real or a dream, all I know is that some man pushed my mother to suicide and I'm going to find out who he is."

His mouth shut into a thin line slapped across his face as he took time to weigh out the meaning of my words.

Of course, only one thing can come to mind: revenge. My mother and I never really got along, but we were still blood family and our bond, although not close and affectionate, was one I cherished. She was strength because through her impassiveness, I found something to look up to. I found that I too should be emotionless and let, as she says, 'the wave beat against the shore because it will always return to the sea.'

Suddenly in one quick motion he threw me against the floor in disappointment. I obviously didn't give him what he was expecting.

"Did you see a tall man? He had long black hair?"

The questions threw me off as I racked my brain for the answers. Did I see a tall man with long black hair…? No, I only saw my mother and that monster.

I shook my head when I finally reached a conclusion.

"Now that I told you what you wanted to know, answer my question. Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"I'll give you the same answer I did before, my name does not matter and as for 'what I'm doing here,' that's my own goddamn business."

I don't know why, but I didn't feel intimidated. I felt nervous because this has been my longest session with a man, but other than that I felt neutral. He paced around the room, clearly not in a hurry to leave so soon. I examined him further and found him rather handsome.

I should curse myself to death for thinking of such things and moments of danger.

Suddenly, something on his left cheek caught my attention. There was a long cross shaped scar that reached from right below his ear to his chin. It must have been painful for such a wound, and even more so to have to see it every time you look in the mirror. How did he get it?

"What?"

I was somewhat caught off-guard. It would seem that I had voiced out my thoughts, which can get many in trouble. But, since what's done is done, I risked questioning him once more.

"How did you get that? That scar on your cheek, how'd you get it?" I replied while pointing at his face.

He growled once more, something that he seems to do to scar me into something else. It doesn't work however, but the cold made me shiver and he mistaken my shivering for fear.

"Are you scared, Kaoru?"

I smiled. He used my name… and I again curse my simplemindedness. He seemed thrown back by my response… well then again, seeing what kind of predicament I'm in it does seem unusual.

"Not in the least, it's just so fucking cold in here." Again he seemed surprise, well as a Japanese woman it is unusual for me to speak so much and even more so for me to curse so openly.

In turn, he surprised me by closing the windows.

"I'm sorry to tell you, but your mother _is_ dead. It's not a dream."

I nodded my head absentmindedly. Somehow I knew she was, somehow I knew my 'vision' was true.

"Addition to that, many others and I want you to take the American ships to America, work for your trip, and forget about your visions. Do you understand what I'm telling you?"

It seemed like a stupid question. Of course I understood, he wanted me to go to America and forget about everything that happened.

There was more to it than that, though. He was asking me to throw my 'silly' notion of revenge away and live my life as a 'normal' orphan child. He was asking me to run away from something I didn't even understand.

I found myself consenting to his idea before I could even stop myself. He grinned in satisfaction and with a swift motion hit me.

Before I fell into darkness, however, he did mention his name at last.

"My name is Himura Kenshin, Kamiya-san." With a strike of disappointment at his sudden formality, I succumbed into the sweet confines of unconsciousness.

**TBC**

**Sorry about the short chapter. I'm kind of disappointed with this story, not many people seem to be reading it… oh well that doesn't matter. This one is one that I've wanted to try for a long time. It's horror, romance, action/adventure, and fantasy rolled into ONE. Oh well, I'm headed for Mississippi soon, so I won't be able to update for about five days to be exact. **

**Review please. **


	3. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: puts hands into the air I. DO. NOT. OWN. THEM. PERIOD.

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Summary: Kaoru, a recently orphaned teen, is struggling to discover herself and her 'gifts.' What will she do when a young man forbids her from further discovering them?

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**_In A Bed of Roses _**_:Chapter Two_

_  
It was not necessary that he remain to watch the corpse burn, but he waited anyway at the threshold of stone after he'd thrown the torch on to the body. The oil burnt with a sudden burst flare of flame and the intense heat made his own skin burn. The room glowed orange, the smell made him gag and the smoke made his eyes water. He made himself stay at the threshold, turning away only to breathe the cool, damp air outside. His responsibility was not over. _

- _Basilisk, N. M. Browne_

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I tried to open my eyes, but it seemed as though something was keeping it shut. It took me a while, however, to discover that my eyes were _not_ closed and that I was in some dark place. Rubbing my eyes, I decided to just keep them shut in fear of getting a headache from straining them in the dark. Taking a deep breath I felt my way through the area, which was still unknown to me.

Suddenly, I was pushed against what I assumed to be another person because a loud grunt was heard on collision. I pushed against the person and tried to gain my balance on the floor, but then the floor seemed to move and I was once again thrown into the person once more.

He pushed me away once again, as if I was something so despicable that he couldn't bear touching me. I rubbed my arms, which were somewhat numb from the constant pushing and shoving I received as I walked down what I assumed to be a hallway. The floor was wet against my bare feet and the air was musky. The salty, tangy smell caused me to breathe in hollow and sharp breaths. The damp air also caused me to perspire. 

Sweat formed behind my neck, causing me to feel uncomfortable with the sticky feeling it gave me. Great. I didn't have any spare cloth on me, seeing as I was wearing my kimono and I didn't have any pockets.

I wiped my neck with my hand, immediately regretting it when my hand got sticky. I wiped the perspiration onto my kimono, ruining the silk cloth. I grinned to myself, I could imagine what my mother would do if she saw me.

_"Don't you understand the importance of tidiness? That kimono was beautiful, now look at it." _

She was always so uptight and strict. I normally pinned her behavior on my father's disappearance.

Thinking of which whenever I asked my mother about him she would just ignore the question and change the subject. I can't remember much about my father. I just remember his hands. They were so gentle whenever he carried me, played with me, and when he hugged me. He was so kind and gentle. I remember thinking about how lucky my mother must've been to have met someone like my dad.

Everything collapsed when he disappeared.

Our family fell apart. My mother became distant and I, well, I became stubborn and unruly – as my mother likes to put it. We became different. She wasn't someone I could always confide in, but her calmness was something I could hold onto. She like a refuge, a haven. She always had this comforting and yet demanding air around her, which made me comfortable.

I continued down the supposed hallway and only stopped to open my eyes to see if there was any change in scenery. There was.

It wasn't dark anymore, mostly because I was standing under the gap in the ceiling and the moon was shining proudly in the night's sky.

It was different looking at it from where I was. It seemed brighter. I took a moment to look around and see what I could in the dim light. There were more Japanese people, like myself, sitting, standing, lying down, and doing anything else possible to get comfortable in the limited space. The walls and ceiling was made out of wood and I assumed that we were on the ship to America.

I guess Himura took the liberty to take me _unconscious_ onto a ship and abandon me there.

There cool night's breeze blew down upon me and I found myself shivering. The cold air caused goose bumps on my arm and I rubbed them in an effort to make them go away. They didn't, however, and I opt for pulling my kimono tighter over my body to keep from shivering. The breeze was stronger now and it didn't seem to pass.

I took a deep breath and continued down the hallway. Soon it grew darker and darker, till I couldn't see anything. Instead of closing my eyes, I kept them open although I was sure I wouldn't be able to see anything. I felt my way through the ship and soon my fingers touched cool, moist wood. I smiled in satisfaction and felt my way down as I started to sit. I leaned against the wood and sighed.

Pulling my knees towards my chest, I laid my chin on them. Slowly, I started rocking back and forth. I couldn't help it.

Something about this ship, about my running away disturbed me. I felt so small, so weak.

My mom died.

I felt a tear make its way down my cheek at the thought that I had no family left. Everyone was gone and I didn't know anyone on the ship. I felt so alone. Suddenly, a cold, chilling feeling surged through my body. The mysterious feeling like someone was watching me. I tried to brush off the feeling, but it persisted. I have no idea who would take interest in me, an orphan. I was a worthless person. I had no father, no husband, and no mother. I was on the bottom end of society, the outcast.

Deep in thought, a constant wrenching feeling broke my chain of thoughts. I let out a small whimper as the pull became stronger. I held back, however, and pulled my arms across my chest as if my heart would beat out of my chest. I started panting, and in my mind the small noises I made seemed to echo unceasingly.

I shouldn't, but the temptation and my curiosity was so great. In that one moment, at the edge of another vision, Himura's eyes popped into my mind and suddenly I didn't care what he said. He didn't have any right to tell me what and what not to do. So my defiant personality took over and I let my vision overcome without a strong struggle. The strange sensation filled my body as I felt like I was being pulled from one world and heartlessly thrown into another. The world started spinning quickly till it was nothing more that a whirling blur of color.

I held my head and closed my eyes trying to block out the unusual spinning, which made me feel a little nauseous. Suddenly everything stopped buzzing and spinning.

I glanced at my surroundings and found myself somewhere in Japan. I saw a village over the edge of the hills where I stood. Everything seemed calm, and I risked a little walk towards the village.

The dirt was crushed beneath my sandals as I walked down a path that obviously leads towards the village. I was almost tempted to whistle to myself because of the wonderful silence and peace I found.

Suddenly, a flash of red caught my eye. Something or someone was running in the woods. It was then that I was aware of all the screaming and chaos that wasn't too far away. I ran.

When I finally arrived at the village, after a long run, I found it in ashes. No one survived, or so I thought, and the houses laid in ruins. My feet felt numb and I couldn't walk. In that moment, I found myself immobile because of the cruelty unleashed on this seemingly innocent village. Dead bodies of women, men, and children were scattered everywhere. Some were burned and others were bleeding profusely.

Unwanted tears filled my eyes.

Then there was another flash of red and I followed it. It was a little child with bright red hair. He kneeled before three dead bodies, crying into his little hands. I wanted to walk towards him and try to comfort him, but something held me back. It was his voice. His small, shivering voice broke through the dead silence.

"I'm sorry." He started sniffling and wheezing. "I wasn't able to protect you… I-"

He stopped talking and looked around. He seized a dagger from one of the dead body's hand and held it in his hand. Was he going to kill himself? This reminded me of my mother's suicide. A sad chill ran down my spine as the sadness and disgust fueled my tears.

Contradictory to my thoughts, he didn't kill himself. Instead he dragged the blade across his cheek and I realized that a bloody cross was scarred across his left cheek… just like Himura.

"I swear…" His small quivering voice became stronger and deeper with a hollowness that left me feeling empty. "I _swear_ I'll avenge your deaths."

He started digging, to bury the bodies I presume. I watched helplessly as he slaved over the dead bodies and pulled them into small makeshift graves. His small body collapsed, but that didn't stop him. He pulled himself up and limped towards the other dead. He carried bodies that seemed to be twice his weight and pushed them into holes he had dug. Gathering sticks, he made crosses which he placed at the head of each grave. On three separate graves, however, he place three huge stones.

After surveying his handiwork, he turned around and faced me. Two eyes burned with anger and I found myself covering my mouth in wonder.

They were two amber eyes and I finally realized that I had seen the past. I saw Himura Kenshin's past… and now I knew why there was a cross shaped scar across his cheek.

I pulled myself out of the vision, feeling as if I had violated his privacy.

**TBC**

**Well, I have returned from Mississippi! Didn't you miss me?! Anyway, nothing much happened. I just stayed in the arcade as my parents gambled. I recently started practicing DDR now since I haven't been playing in a while. I want to get better so I'm playing everyday. I get kind of tired, however, and my legs hurt every morning, but that's okay. I just really want to be good at DDR. I love watching people play all those difficult songs and soon I want to be able to do those songs too. I think I can do up to eight or seven feet difficulty, but it depends on the song as well. **

**I hope you guys liked this chapter and review. **

**!!Review please!!**


	4. Chapter Three

Disclaimer: puts hands into the air I. DO. NOT. OWN. THEM. PERIOD.

* * *

Summary: Kaoru, a recently orphaned teen, is struggling to discover herself and her 'gifts.' What will she do when a young man forbids her from further discovering them?

* * *

**_In A Bed of Roses _**_:Chapter Three_

_  
She heard a strange sound. A baying. Fear seemed to clasp chilled wet fingers around her heart again. A dog. It had been nothing but a dog. And there it was. Down below, at the end of the drive. The animal was huge. She heard the baying again. Deep, and otherworldly. A haunting sound that might have come from an entire pack of deep-throated animals, crying to the night and the heavens above. She leaned over the balcony. It was a wolf. And once again, the night was split with the unearthly sound of the creature crying out to the moon and the sky. _

- _Realm of Shadows, Shannon Drake _

* * *

I shook my head as I tried to shake off the feeling of guilt. I finally opened my eyes to look around and see if it was day. It wasn't.

The darkness of the room was still as black as ever and I turned my head wondering if I was indeed in the ship and not in another vision. I pinched myself and found that I was in the real world because I could never get hurt in my visions. Pain was the only thing that separated the real world to the one I had made for myself. My head snapped to the right, searching for the cause of the small sound I had heard.

I bit my lip in order not to scream at the sudden appearance of two amber eyes I had grown familiar with.

"Himura…"

I cursed myself at sounding so weak and breathless, but some things can't be helped.

Instead of replying, he shoved me savagely against the wood I had been leaning on. His amber eyes narrowed till they looked like amber slits. His ragged breath matched mine and I soon found myself cowering in fear. The added pressure of guilt for invading his privacy caused me to shiver at the pain he could inflict. Somehow I knew he knew that I had seen his past. He always seemed to know everything that happened.

"I told you not to go into your visions."

His slow, menacing whisper bit into my soul as fear resided deep within me. I suppressed every urge to whimper and held my head up high.

"You have no right." I was able to whisper, just as cold and menacing as him.

His hand gripped my neck in a half strangle. A storm seemed to play in his amber orbs and I found that it was hard to avoid them. Our eyes locked and I regretted it instantly. There wasn't just anger in his eyes, but sadness as well.

"I have no right?" He questioned me sarcastically, "You have no right to butt into my past."

"How did you get here?" Was my small effort to change the subject.

"I was always here. I was watching you."

The odd sensation I had felt earlier wasn't a lie. Someone had been watching me, and this fact made me feel safe and violated at the same time. Himura didn't seem fazed by my silly plan to change the subject and he continued talking.

"What's in _my_ past is my concern, not yours. Don't, and I repeat, don't go use your visions to sate your own curiosity."

Although his voice sounded hollow and empty, I could tell that there was anger lurking behind every word. His grip tightened on my neck as he pushed me harder onto the wooden wall.

"I can't help it."

"Yes you can. You're just too goddamn curious." He let me go and I collapsed against the floor, taking deep breaths. His cruelty towards me was so sudden, but then again he was the same way when we first met. I kept quiet in fear of upsetting him.

Still, it was like my mouth had a mind of its own. I started speaking once more, "I'm sorry about…" Who were those people he buried? The ones with the large stones… "I'm sorry about your village."

"Don't say things you don't mean. I don't need your pity."

"It's funny how compassion is heartlessly discarded when needed most."

"Your emotions, ideas, thoughts mean nothing to me."

I smiled slightly, "Is it because I'm a foolish girl who's not old enough to understand how life works? How can I be called so immature and naïve when you don't look much older than I am?"

His amber eyes blinked as he looked at me with that unwavering glare. "Appearances _are_ deceiving."

"In some cases."

"I am much older than you are."

I blinked in reply. He didn't look old. His face was void of any wrinkles or blemishes that came with age. His built seemed strong and youthful, and his hair was brilliant red without a streak of gray anywhere.

Then a period of silence flooded down upon us as he slowly backed away. He stopped, however, at just about an arm reach away and made himself comfortable.

Questions flooded my mind. Why was he here? How did he know I was in another vision? Although I know the reason for his scar was for a physical sign of his pain, did that mean he was still in pain? Or was there something more? How did he feel burying bodies of people he most likely loved? Did he feel as empty as I do now?

"I killed them."

"What?" His empty voice left me feeling cold and hollow. It made me feel… unfeeling. Like my whole body was numb and I felt tempted to cut myself to just make myself _feel_ again, even though it's pain.

"I killed them, the men who burnt down my village. I was only seven at the time they came to our village. They wanted us to work under them, become their slaves and when we resisted they killed them."

His voice shivered with an almost insane tone as he continued his story of bloodshed, "I hunted them down, one by one. The leader, I found wallowing in his freakish pleasure of women, sluts and prostitutes. I killed off all his companions, severing their heads off so he could see my power, my cruelty. Then," There was a slight pause in his speech, which I found added a sort of suspenseful feeling deep in the pit of my stomach. "I killed him, cutting his limbs off. First his arms, then his legs. All the while he screamed, not stopping once. When his pain bored me I killed them without batting an eye."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Don't act as if you didn't want to know. I could tell you were thinking about it, I could tell that you're just like everyone else with little visions. That's all that separates you from them, your visions."

"I _am _not like everyone else and everyone else isn't like each other, because if that were life would just be dull."

Silence overwhelmed us once more, but then after a long pause I broke it.

"How did you know I was in a vision?"

He glanced at me as if contemplating whether or not he should tell me. Picking the former one, he opened his mouth to answer my question.

"When you have visions, you feel as if you're being pulled from your body, correct?" I nodded, "Well, that's your soul leaving you body and when this happens your ki levels lower till it's almost gone."

I nodded slightly, understanding slightly.

We sat in silence once more and I found myself too tired to try to make a conversation so I closed my eyes and tried to go to sleep.

The only comfort I had right now as to be sitting down and knowing that someone, even though seemingly dangerous, was watching over me.

**TBC**

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**So sorry for the long update and short chapter, it's just that a lot has been happening lately. **

**Review puh-lease!**


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